Venezuelan DemocracyUnder CIA Attackby Annie Whitehouse

August 1, 2017. The U.S. Government is making moves towards war on the country President Jimmy Carter says has the best election system in the world.

Ever since the Bolivian Revolution won at the polls in Venezuela, sweeping Hugo Chavez into the Presidency, the U.S. Government has worked overtime to back money-grubbing, resource-raping oil executives in creating social unrest in the country. The people continue to go to the polls to elect Bolivian Revolutionary leaders, who have given the people health care, education, food, housing and elevated the status of the poor. This does not sit well with the rich international resource raiding companies that own the U.S. Government. In retaliation against the Venezuelan people, Congress continues to fund false anti-Chavez/ anti-Maduro propaganda in order to pretend that Chavez was and Maduro is unpopular in Venezuela. In truth, that unpopularity is only with the top 1%. The masses supported Chavez and now support Maduro.

The U.S. Government is now calling on the families of U.S. Diplomats to leave Venezuela. This is a typical step before ushering in an unwanted war. But the war started long ago, with fake propaganda (paid for with American tax dollars), with U.S. sponsored protests wherein the protesters were driven to the protests in chauffeured limos, and with the kidnapping of President Hugo Chavez by the CIA.After the CIA kidnapped Chavez in 2002, the people of Venezuela marched in the streets demanding the return of their beloved leader. Finally the CIA was forced to release Chavez but continued to interfere in elections, even to the point of running a person (Capriles) allegedly complicit in the kidnapping of Chavez against him in a later election and of trying to undo Chavez's final election. There have been accusations that the CIA was tied to the death of Chavez but this claim has not yet been proven. Chavez's funeral was attended by such greats as former six-term Congresswoman and U.S. Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney. Chavez was well loved. Not many leaders give homes to the homeless and make sure that their country's people share in the country's resources. Despite being shot at by the CIA-backed opposition as they stood in line to vote for Chavez, Venezuelans risked death to stay in line and give him landslide victories.

Under the "best election system in the world" (according to independent election overseer and monitor President Jimmy Carter), Nicholas Maduro (Chavez's hand-picked successor) has continued to be victorious and has continued the kind of People's Revolution Bernie Sanders tried to bring about in the United States. In a vote on Sunday, the people voted continuing approval for the People's or Bolivian Revolution in Venezuela. If Bernie Sanders had been President, those opposing Maduro would likely be similarly trying to undermine the Presidency of Bernie Sanders. The issue prime issue is one of whether the people of a country have the right to vote as they choose to vote.

The Venezuelan People's election of July 30, 2017, was basically a mandate in support of the Bolivian Revolution. Though President Jimmy Carter called Venezuela's election system the best on Earth, he could not say the same for the elections in the United States, indicating that it was impossible to monitor or verify the results in the U.S. The oil cartel in Washington didn't like the way the Venezuelan people voted and so Washington has slapped sanctions on Venezuela. There is a major concern among the people in the United States about the CIA-orchestrated unrest in Venezuela and the appearance that the U.S. may take further action to overthrow democracy in that country.

This adds to the current climate of danger American Latinos currently feel. The picture above is not from Venezuela but from Los Angeles. In the United States, whenever Venezuela is threatened, thousands of Americans citizens rally in support of Nicolas Maduro, as they did in support of Chavez when Chavez was President. A war against Venezuela would be a war against a large segment of the American population. With extensive division in the United States already taking place, the overthrowing of Maduro's Government could result in an American Civil War.

Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox has the following statement from the International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity regarding the recent election

"Statement from the International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity

"The U.S. State Department, the oligarchy and the Venezuelan right, together with the regional and European right have not let up in their attempt to destroy the enormous achievements accomplished by the Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela and the Government of Nicolas Maduro."The main objective that drives them, constantly and permanently, is to put into practice various methods of war in order to take control of the vast natural resources of the country, especially oil. Since Chavez, all those resources have been put in the hands and stewardship of the Venezuelan people. "It is the first time in two hundred years of history that this has happened, thanks to the emancipatory and anti-imperialist efforts of Commander Hugo Chávez - a direction continued by the Government of Maduro. The oil income is now at the disposal of huge projects aimed at benefiting those who were always forgotten and humiliated; the people, workers, farmers, blacks and native people."Also for the first time in the history of Venezuela, illiteracy has been eradicated; more than 1,500,000 affordable homes have been built, education, culture and sports now reaches every corner and mountain top of the country and is no longer just a privilege to be enjoyed by the rich. Women have recaptured their dignity and today they occupy important positions at all levels of the life of the country, including the armed forces. Social missions have been multiplied to give a roof, work and land to those who never had anything."The generosity of Chavez did not forget a single Latin American. His work and vision changed the map of Latin America and the Caribbean. Along with the resistant and blockaded Cuban Revolution, the solidarity of Fidel and Chavez carried out the largest and most beautiful feats of the century. It was not just Venezuela and Cuba, but all poor people of the Americas. In just a few years, through Operación Milagro and the literacy program Yo Si Puedo, millions of poor Latin American and Caribbean were able to see, read and write."Regional bodies of integration such as Mercosur strengthened, progressive governments in the region and were supported so they could put an end to the historical dependence on the IMF and the World Bank. It was a clear and loud message of NO MORE that was sent to the FTAA and in that ALBA, UNASUR and the Bank of the South were born. Huge efforts were made to start the dialogue of peace between the Colombian Government and the FARC, which, after five years of talks, ended 50 years of war in that country. For the first time in history a regional body without the presence of imperialism was created in January of 2014 in Havana when CELAC was born declaring Latin America and the Caribbean a "Zone of Peace"."All of this was accomplished in less than two decades when there was not really a moment of true peace. Imperialism just could not stand what was happening.

"So they plotted and invented a humanitarian crisis, by urging the Venezuelan right and the oligarchy to hide and destroy food and medicine while the imperialists themselves prevented shipments of these vital items. They gave cover to the cowardly terrorist imperialist right who have systematically refused to engage in dialogue while failing to organize even one "peaceful demonstration" that even remotely matched the size that the legitimate government of Maduro has been able to bring together.

"Instead they have resorted to the most inhumane extreme tactics by funding, providing and sponsoring mercenaries that kill in the most horrendous ways any young man who looks like they could be a supporter of Chavez. Many times the color of their skin is enough to be set on fire

"It has been one hundred days of declared war during which an unconstitutional referendum and a so-called parallel government of the "opposition" took place. They have even begun to organize and appointing a future government with absolutely no constitutional basis.

"The Trump administration has threatened Venezuela with severe sanctions if it does not desist from conducting the upcoming Constituent Assembly. Meanwhile the lap dog of the empire, Luis Almagro, who heads the Organization of American States (OAS) has demanded a "humanitarian" intervention by the United States. One with the same humanity of those interventions into Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria that has left millions dead and still counting. The sniveling right wing governments of the region and Europe are pathetically joining the choir.

"Imperialism, along with its servants and allies are pulling out all the stops to prevent the realization of the Constitutional Assembly taking place onJuly 30which is the largest and most significantly representative exercise any nation could conduct. Basically Maduro is putting his trust in the people by empowering them to defeat the fascist coup. No wonder the imperialist are so hell bent on stopping it.

"The Empire and the retrograde right fear the Constituent Assembly because it will be the most genuine expression of people power. To support it is not only to defend the sovereign right of the Bolivarian people to decide their own fate in peace. It is also to preserve ours.

"We make a call to all our friends in the solidarity movement, to the committees all over the world that for a long time have supported the Cuban Revolution and other people's struggle, the honest men and women, to be permanently alert and mobilized to denounce the imperial right that will attempt to impede the vote to the Constituent Assembly.

"This week, onJuly 28, will mark the 63rdbirthday of Hugo Chavez andJuly 26will be the 64thanniversary of Fidel's assault on the Moncada Barracks; the best way we can pay tribute to these two heroes of our time is to renew our commitment to the Cuban and Bolivarian Revolutions and their right to exercise their sovereign right to life, peace and dignity.